Robotic carton unloader

ABSTRACT

A robotic carton unloader for automatic unloading of cartons from a carton pile, such as a carton pile stacked within a trailer. In various embodiments, a robotic carton unloader may comprise a conveyor system, a robotic positioner, and a manipulator having a conformable face configured to conform to irregularities of the carton pile, and the manipulator may be movable attached to an end of the robotic positioner.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of International PatentApplication Serial No. PCT/US2014/038513 filed May 16, 2014, entitled“Robotic Carton Unloader” which claims the benefit of priority of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/824,550 filed May 17, 2013,entitled “Robotic Carton Unloader.” This application also claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/860,209,filed Jul. 30, 2013, entitled “Robotic Carton Unloader”, U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/871,292, filed Aug. 28, 2013,entitled “Robotic Carton Unloader”, U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/894,871, filed Oct. 23, 2013, entitled “Robotic CartonUnloader”, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/894,878,filed Oct. 23, 2013, entitled “Robotic Carton Unloader”, U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/894,889, filed Oct. 23, 2013,entitled “Robotic Carton Unloader”, U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/916,720, filed Dec. 16, 2013, entitled “Robotic CartonUnloader”, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/971,463,filed Mar. 27, 2014, entitled “Robotic Carton Unloader”, U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/973,188, filed Mar. 31, 2014,entitled “Robotic Carton Unloader”, and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/023,068, filed Jul. 10, 2014, entitled “RoboticCarton Unloader.” The entire contents of all eleven applications areincorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to an apparatus for handlingproducts, and is more particularly directed to an automatic caseunloader designed to unload product, such as cardboard cases of varioussizes, from within a trailer.

BACKGROUND

Trucks and trailers loaded with cargo and products move across thecountry to deliver products to commercial loading and unloading docks atstores, warehouses, and distribution centers. Trucks can have a trailermounted on the truck, or can be of a tractor-semi trailer configuration.To lower overhead costs at retail stores, in-store product counts havebeen reduced, and products-in-transit now count as part of availablestore stock. Unloading trucks quickly at the unloading docks ofwarehouses and regional distribution centers has attained new prominenceas a way to refill depleted stock.

Trucks are typically unloaded with forklifts if the loads are palletizedand with manual labor if the products are stacked within the trucks.Unloading large truck shipments manually with human laborers can bephysically difficult, and can be costly due to the time and laborinvolved. Consequently, a need exists for an improved unloading systemthat can unload bulk quantities of stacked cases and cargo from trucktrailers more quickly than human laborers and at a reduced cost.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments include a robotic carton unloader for automaticunloading of cartons from a carton pile, such as a carton pile stackedwithin a trailer. In various embodiments, a robotic carton unloader maycomprise a conveyor system, a robotic positioner, and a manipulatorhaving a conformable face configured to conform to irregularities of thecarton pile, and the manipulator may be movable attached to an end ofthe robotic positioner. In a further embodiment, the conformable face ofthe manipulator may be configured to passively conform to theirregularities of the carton pile by contact therewith. In a furtherembodiment, the conformable face of the manipulator may be configured toattach to contacted cartons of the carton pile to unload the contactedcartons. In an embodiment, the conformable face may be configured toapply a vacuum to attach to the contacted cartons. In an embodiment, theconformable face may comprise a plurality of carton connectors, whereineach of the carton connectors is configured to be biased toward thecarton pile and to individually conform to the irregularities of thecarton pile by contact therewith. In an embodiment, each of theplurality of carton connectors may be biased toward the carton pile by aspring. In an embodiment, the conformable face may comprise more thanone bank of pluralities of carton connectors and each bank of aplurality of carton connectors may be configured to move independent ofthe other banks of pluralities of carton connectors towards the cartonpile to conform to the irregularities of the carton pile by contacttherewith and to move independent of the other banks of pluralities ofcarton connectors away from the carton pile to unload the contactedcartons. In an embodiment, each bank of pluralities of carton connectorsmay comprise at least one fluid activated cylinder to move that bank ofpluralities of carton connectors towards and away from the carton pile.In various embodiments, the manipulator may further comprise a moveableshelf movable towards and away from the carton pile and the movableshelf may be configured to support cartons drawn from the carton pile.In a further embodiment, the movable shelf may slide towards and awayfrom the carton pile. In an additional embodiment, the movable shelf mayinclude a bumper to stabilize the carton pile as cartons are unloaded.In a further embodiment, the moveable shelf may pivot in whole or inpart. In various additional embodiments, the various embodiment roboticcarton unloaders may further comprise a control and visualization systemconnected to the embodiment conveyor systems, the embodiment roboticpositioners, and the embodiment manipulators, and the control andvisualization system may be configured to automatically control theconveyor systems, the robotic positioners, and the manipulators of thevarious embodiments to unload the carton pile. In an embodiment, thecontrol and visualization system may be configured to control therobotic positioner to rotate the manipulator perpendicular to a floor ofa truck or trailer to lift a carton from the floor. In variousadditional embodiments, the various embodiment manipulators may furthercomprise at least one carton connector configured to extend out from aside of the manipulator perpendicular to the conformable face. In anembodiment, the at least one carton connector may be configured toattach to contacted cartons on the side of the manipulator to unload thecontacted cartons. In an embodiment, the at least one carton connectormay be configured to apply vacuum to attach to the contacted cartons.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitutepart of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of theinvention, and, together with the general description given above andthe detailed description given below, serve to explain the features ofthe present invention.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an embodiment of a robotic cartonunloader maneuvering within a truck to unload product, such as cartonsdepicted as a pile of cartons, stacked within the truck.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the robotic carton unloader of FIG. 1taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing a carton being unloaded from thepile of cartons and discharged onto an unloading dock conveyor.

FIG. 3 is a partial side sectional view of the robotic carton unloaderof FIG. 2, showing a portion of a conveyor system pivoted upwards.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a manipulator of the robotic cartonunloader of FIG. 1, showing movements of portions of the manipulator.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the manipulator of FIG. 4, showing aspreading movement of the manipulator.

FIG. 6 is a partial side sectional view of the robotic carton unloaderof FIG. 2, showing a rotating front roller lifting a carton from a floorof the truck.

FIG. 7 is a partial side sectional view of an alternate embodiment of arobotic carton unloader having a roller with corners and a carton scoop.

FIGS. 8-13 are a series of block diagrams showing a vacuum manipulatorin operation as it grasps, draws, and drops cartons.

FIG. 14 is a right side sectional view of another robotic cartonunloader including a vacuum manipulator according to an embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an isometric view of the right side of the vacuum manipulatorof FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is an isometric view of the left side of the vacuum manipulatorof FIG. 14.

FIG. 17A is an isometric view of an embodiment vacuum rod.

FIG. 17B is a side view of the vacuum rod of FIG. 17A.

FIG. 18A is an isometric view of another embodiment vacuum rod.

FIG. 18B is a side view of the vacuum rod of FIG. 18A.

FIG. 19 is a partial isometric view of the right side of the vacuummanipulator of FIG. 14 illustrating internal features according to anembodiment shown through a clear top cover.

FIG. 20 is an isometric view of the right side of the vacuum manipulatorof FIG. 14 with a second bank of vacuum rods extended.

FIG. 21 is a side sectional view of the right side of the vacuummanipulator of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is an isometric view of the right side of the vacuum manipulatorof FIG. 14 with the top cover and various vacuum rods removed forclarity of illustration.

FIG. 23 is an isometric view of the right side of the vacuum manipulatorof FIG. 22 with a second bank of vacuum rods, the right side bank ofvacuum rods, and the sliding shelf extended.

FIG. 24 is an isometric view of the left under-side of the vacuummanipulator of FIG. 14 with the sliding shelf and first, second, andthird banks of vacuum rods extended.

FIG. 25 is an isometric view of the left under-side of the vacuummanipulator of FIG. 24 with the sliding shelf extended and first,second, and third banks of vacuum rods retracted.

FIG. 26A is a partial top view of the left side of the vacuummanipulator of FIG. 14 in contact with a carton pile at a first timeduring carton removal operations.

FIG. 26B is a side sectional view of the vacuum manipulator of FIG. 26A.

FIG. 27A is a partial top view of the left side of the vacuummanipulator of FIG. 26A in contact with the carton pile at a second timeduring carton removal operations.

FIG. 27B is a side sectional view of the vacuum manipulator of FIG. 27A.

FIG. 28A is a partial top view of the left side of the vacuummanipulator of FIG. 27A in contact with the carton pile at a third timeduring carton removal operations.

FIG. 28B is a side sectional view of the vacuum manipulator of FIG. 28A.

FIG. 29A is a partial top view of the left side of the vacuummanipulator of FIG. 28A in contact with the carton pile at a fourth timeduring carton removal operations.

FIG. 29B is a side sectional view of the vacuum manipulator of FIG. 29A.

FIG. 30A is a partial front side view of the vacuum manipulator of FIG.14 with the right side bank of vacuum rods retracted.

FIG. 30B is a partial front side view of the vacuum manipulator of FIG.30A with the right side bank of vacuum rods extended.

FIG. 31 is a right side sectional view of the robotic carton unloader ofFIG. 14 extended to remove cartons from a floor of the truck.

FIG. 32A is a right side isometric view of a pivoting shelf according toan embodiment.

FIG. 32B is a left under-side isometric view of a pivoting shelfaccording to an embodiment.

FIGS. 33A-C are right side views of a pivoting shelf transitioning froma rotated down state to a rotated up state.

FIG. 34 is a process flow diagram illustrating an embodiment method forcontrolling a robotic carton unloader including a vacuum manipulator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, like reference characters designate likeor corresponding parts throughout the several views. Also, in thefollowing description, it is to be understood that terms such as front,back, inside, outside, and the like are words of convenience and are notto be construed as limiting terms. Terminology used in this patent isnot meant to be limiting insofar as devices described herein, orportions thereof, may be attached or utilized in other orientations.References made to particular examples and implementations are forillustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of theinvention or the claims.

It should be appreciated that any patent, publication, or otherdisclosure material, in whole or in part, that is said to beincorporated by reference herein is incorporated herein only to theextent that the incorporated material does not conflict with existingdefinitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth in thisdisclosure. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure asexplicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting materialincorporated herein by reference.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other implementations.

FIGS. 1-6 generally show an embodiment of a robotic carton unloader 100for unloading cartons 12 from within a truck or semi-trailer 10. Forinstance, robotic carton unloader 100 may be configured to be driveninto semi-trailer 10, dislodge or remove cartons 12 from carton wall orcarton pile 11 stacked on floor 18 of semi-trailer 10, and transfer orunload the dislodged cartons 12 from semi-trailer 10. Cartons 12 maythen be transferred into a store, warehouse or distribution centerunloading bay. Cartons 12 may be any kind of product container forconveying products such as, but not limited to, cardboard cartons.Robotic carton unloader 100 may include a mobile body 120 sized andconfigured to be driven in and out of semi-trailer 10. Roboticallycontrolled carton remover system 160 may be positioned on mobile body120 and may extend from mobile body 120 toward carton pile 11 todislodge and unload cartons 12 from carton pile 11. For instance,robotically controlled carton remover system 160 may dislodge and unloadcartons 12 from a front and a top of carton pile 11. Carton guide system175 may be located adjacent to (e.g., below) carton remover system 160to catch cartons 12 as they are dislodged from pile 11. Carton guidesystem 175 may also guide cartons 12 onto and along conveyor system 135that may extend from one end of robotic carton unloader 100 to the otherend of robotic carton unloader 100. Conveyor system 135 may dischargeunloaded cartons 12 at the end portion of robotic carton unloader 100for collection (e.g., by laborers) or to a distribution center conveyor19. Control and visualization system 180 may be provided to control andautomate the unloading process, and to operate robotic carton unloader100. Each of these components will be discussed in further detail below.

Mobile Body

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, mobile body 120 of robotic carton unloader100 comprises chassis 121 movably supported on a four wheelconfiguration with each wheel 122, 123, 124, 125 adjacent to a corner ofchassis 121. As an example, the chassis 121 may be a generallyrectangular chassis with each wheel 122, 123, 124, and 125 adjacent to acorner or the rectangle. Angled plate 128 may be elevated above acentral portion of conveyor system 135 and may extend across chassis 121(e.g., transversely across chassis 121) for the attachment ofrobotically controlled carton remover system 160 thereto. A first drivemotor and a second drive motor 127 (e.g., a drive system) may begenerally located inboard from sides (e.g., the left side and the rightside) of robotic carton unloader 100. The first drive motor may beconfigured to drive wheel 122, while second drive motor 127 may beconfigured to drive wheel 123. Other wheels, such as wheels 124, 125,may be configured to freewheel. Accordingly, drive motors, such as thefirst drive motor and the second drive motor 127, may drive and steerrobotic carton unloader 100 within semi-trailer 10. As examples,rotating the first drive motor and the second drive motor 127 in thesame direction may drive robotic carton unloader 100 forward orbackward, rotating the first drive motor and the second drive motor 127in opposite directions may pivot robotic carton unloader 100 about apoint centered between drive wheels 122, 123, and rotating one of thefirst drive motor or the second drive motor 127 may pivot robotic cartonunloader 100 about the opposite undriven drive wheel 122 or 123.

Conveyor System

As best seen in FIG. 2, conveyor system 135 includes a plurality ofindependently controlled conveyors to transport cartons 12. For example,the independently controlled conveyors may define an elongated “Z” shapeconveyor system. In an embodiment, conveyor system 135 may be wider atthe front (e.g., at the end of the conveyor closest to the carton pile11) to receive cartons 12, and may narrow moving toward the rear (e.g.,at the end of the conveyor farthest from the carton pile 11) alongconveyor system 135. The narrowing of conveyor system 135 may positionthe unloaded cartons 12 in a line for discharge. Conveyor system 135 maycomprise a rear portion 136 a fixed relative to chassis 121, and a frontportion 136 b pivotally mounted to, and extending from, chassis 121.Rear portion 136 a of conveyor system 135 may comprise a rear conveyor137 and central conveyor 138. Rear conveyor 137 may comprise a portion137 a (e.g., a horizontal portion) that may be aligned with distributioncenter conveyor 19 for unloading cartons 12. Rear conveyor 137 mayfurther comprise a portion 137 b that is inclined to couple portion 137a with central conveyor 138. Central conveyor 138 may be positionedproximal (e.g., horizontal) to trailer floor 18 and may extend throughchassis 121 from rear conveyor 137 to front portion 136 b of conveyorsystem 135. Motor 139 may be coupled with rear conveyor 137 to driverear conveyor 137, and motor 140 may be coupled to central conveyor 138to drive central conveyor 138. As will be apparent to one with ordinaryskill in the art in view of the teachings herein, any suitable number ofmotors 139, 140 may be used to drive conveyors 137, 138.

Conveyor arms 141 may pivotally extend (e.g., in a front directiontoward the carton pile 11) from chassis 121 to support front portion 136b of conveyor system 135. Conveyor arms 141 may be rotatable about pivot145. Front portion 136 b of conveyor system 135 may comprise trailingconveyor 142 and leading conveyor 143. Conveyors 142, 143 may bepositioned end-to-end between conveyor arms 141 to transport cartons 12along conveyors 142, 143. Roller 144 may be positioned adjacent thedistal end of leading conveyor 143 and may be configured to load cartons12 onto leading conveyor 143. Roller 144 may be generally cylindricaland may extend transversely across an end of conveyor arms 141. Roller144 may be powered by roller drive motor 147 coupled with conveyor arms141. Leading motor 148 and trailing motor 149 are coupled with conveyorarms 141 to drive leading conveyor 143 and trailing conveyor 142respectively.

Conveyor wheel 150 may be coupled with conveyor arms 141 to supportfront portion 136 b on trailer floor 18. Lift 151 may operably connectbetween chassis 121 and conveyor arms 141 to lift the front portion 136b of conveyor system 135 off of the trailer floor 18 to any angularposition relative thereto, such as but not limited to the angularposition shown in FIG. 3. During operation, front portion 136 b may beangled upwardly or downwardly relative to central conveyor 138. Forinstance, the angular position of front portion 136 b may be adjusted tomeet the changing height of carton pile 11. The front portion 136 b maybe angled to remain below the carton guide system 175. When carton pile11 is at a maximum, the angular position is at a maximum, and whencarton pile 11 is at a minimum, the angular position is at a minimum. Asshown in FIG. 3, pivoting upstream portion 136 b to an angular positionmay shorten the fall distance of carton 12 as it exits carton guidesystem 175 to fall or drop onto conveyor system 135. Lift 151 may be anelectrical actuator such as a motor, but is not limited thereto.

Robotically Controlled Carton Remover System

Turning to FIGS. 1-4, robotically controlled carton remover system 160may be configured to reach out (e.g., extend) from robotic cartonunloader 100 to dislodge one or more cartons 12 (e.g., a plurality ofcartons 12) from carton pile 11 with manipulator 162. As best seen inFIG. 3, manipulator 162 may be movably attached to a free end of roboticpositioner 163. Base 163 a of robotic positioner 163 is disposedadjacent angled plate 128 overlying central conveyor 138 of conveyorsystem 135. Robotic positioner 163 and manipulator 162 may be controlledby control and visualization system 180, and may be configured todislodge or unload cartons 12 from anywhere on carton pile 11. Theoperating areas of robotic positioned 163 and manipulator 162 may extendfrom side-to-side and from floor-to-top of semi-trailer 10. Roboticpositioner 163 may be any available robotic arm with at least fourdegrees of motion, such as the exemplary FANUC® Robot R-1000ia sold byFANUC® Robotics America Corporation, 3900 West Hamlin Road, RochesterHills Mich. 48309-3253.

As shown in FIG. 4, manipulator 162 may be rotatable about a wristrotation joint 164 to rotate manipulator 162 about longitudinal axis A.Manipulator 162 may be further pivotable about wrist pivot joint 165 topivot manipulator 162 about axis B oriented transverse to axis A.Manipulator 162 includes base 166 with at least one actuatable element,such as a claw 167 or finger, extending therefrom. As shown in thisembodiment, base 166 may have two or more actuatable elements, such asthree fingers 167, pivotally mounted to base 166 at their respectiveproximal ends. First actuator 168 may be connected to each actuatableelement, such as each of fingers 167, to pivot fingers 167 downwardlyrelative to hand 166 about respective axes C, which is spaced from axisB as shown in FIG. 4. Second actuator 169 may be attached to hand 166and to each of fingers 167 for spreading fingers 167 apart about axis Dwhich is oriented transverse to axis C as shown in FIG. 5. First andsecond actuators 168, 169 may be, but are not limited to, electric orfluidic actuators. Fluidic actuators of the embodiments may operate withcompressible fluids or with incompressible fluids.

Carton Guide System

Carton guide system 175 may be configured to guide unloaded or dislodgedcartons 12 through robotic carton unloader 100, as shown in FIGS. 1 and2. Carton guide system 175 may comprise a shelf 176, for example acarton deceleration skirt, located between carton remover system 160 andconveyor system 135. Shelf 176 comprises may comprise a surface 174. Forexample, the surface 174 may be a non-vertical surface, such as a curvedsurface. The shelf 174 may be configured to catch falling cartons 12 andguide the sliding dislodged cartons 12 onto conveyor system 135. Shelf176 may be constructed from materials having a coefficient of frictionconfigured to decelerate cartons 12 sliding thereon without stopping thesliding motion of cartons 12. Shelf 176 may be formed from variousmaterials. As examples, shelf 176 may be formed from bendable ordeflectable materials such as a fabric, a flexible plastic sheet, apleated collapsible structure, etc. Carton guide system 175 may furthercomprise a pair of conveyor guides 177 positioned on each side ofconveyor system 135. Conveyor guides 177 extend from conveyor arms 141of front portion 136 b of conveyor system 135 and may narrow toward atthe rear portion 136 a to guide cartons 12 onto conveyor system 135.

A frame 178 of carton guide system 175 may be pivotally attached toangled plate 128 of mobile body 120 (e.g., at a front side of angledplate 128 oriented toward the carton pile 11) such that carton guidesystem 175 extends outwardly from mobile body 120. In an embodiment,frame 178 may be generally U-shaped and may comprise a pair of framearms 178 a and 178 b extending outwardly and spreading wider therefrom.Frame arms 178 a and 178 b may terminate at a cross member such asbumper 170 extending rigidly between frame arms 178 a and 178 b (e.g.,from side to side at a front end closest to the carton pile 11). Bumper170 may include outer cover 170 a over a rigid core and may rotate. Inone embodiment, at least a portion of bumper 170 may be a deflectablematerial such as an elastomer or a foam. Curved arrows are provided inFIG. 2 to show the directions of the pivotal motion of frame arms 178 a,178 b relative to mobile body 120.

The previously described shelf 176 may be suspended from frame 178.Frame lift 179 may connect between the frame 178 and the angled plate128 (see FIG. 1) to raise and lower frame 178, bumper 170, and shelf 176(see arrows FIG. 2). Frame lift 179 can be an electrical actuator suchas a motor but is not limited thereto. As will be described in greaterdetail later, frame lift 179 may place bumper 170 against the wall ofcarton pile 11 below cartons 12 being removed to stabilize the wall ofcarton pile 11 below the cartons 12 being removed. The deflectionproperties of shelf 176 may provide robotically controlled cartonremover system 160 access to cartons 12 resting on trailer floor 18 whenshelf 176 is lowered into contact with at least part of conveyor system135 and collapses or reduces in height from the contact.

Control and VIsualization System

Control and visualization system 180 may coordinate and control all ofthe functions of the systems of the robotic carton unloader 100. Controland visualization system 180 may be configured to operate robotic cartonunloader 100 to automate at least a portion of the unloading process.Control and visualization system 180 may include control module 181,power supply 182, and robotics controller 183, positioned within chassis121. Control and visualization system 180 provides timing, sequencing,homing routines, and motion control for drive motors 126, 127, conveyordrive motors 139, 140, 148, 149, roller drive motor 147, front lift 151,frame lift 179, robotic positioner 163 and manipulator 162.

Operator interface 185 may be coupled with chassis 121 and extendsinwardly above a portion of conveyor system 135. Operator interface 185may include joystick 186, display 187, and keypad 188. Joystick 186 maybe a multi-purpose control and can be configured to control movement ofrobotic positioner 163 and manipulator 162. Joystick 186 may bereconfigured (via selections on keypad 188) to steer, drive, and stoprobotic carton unloader 100. Display 187 may display a wide variety ofinformation that includes but is not limited to error messages,calibration information, status indicators, systems fault warnings, andcan display lines of software code entered or edited on keypad 188.Keypad 188 may be used to enter software code for motion control of therobotic arm, conveyor system 135, drive motors 126, 127, lifts 151, 179,and conveyor drive motors 139, 140, 148, and 149.

Control and visualization system 180 may include visualization sensorssuch as a wall proximity sensor 193 for preventing robotic cartonunloader 100 from colliding with the wall of carton pile 11. Wallproximity sensor 193 may be an electrical sensor attached to at leastone of conveyor guides 177, such as at a front of the robotic cartonunloader 100, for measuring proximity between the at least one proximitysensor 193 and carton pile 11. When wall proximity sensor 193 sensesthat robotic carton unloader 100 is at a desired distance from cartonpile 11, control and visualization system 180 may stop robotic cartonunloader 100.

Upper carton sensor 189 may be mounted on frame 178 to indicate contactof frame 178 with carton pile 11. Upper carton sensor 189 may be acontact switch adjacent to bumper 170 that trips when bumper 170contacts the face of carton pile 11. Or, in another embodiment, uppercarton sensor 189 may be a distance sensor that detects a distance tothe face of carton pile 11. An angle position indicator may connectbetween angled plate 128 and frame 178 to indicate an angle betweenangled plate 128 and frame 178. When bumper 170 is contacting cartonpile 11, the angle position indicator may provide control andvisualization system 180 with angular positional data that can be usedto compute the location of the wall of carton piles 11 relative torobotic carton unloader 100 and manipulator 162 of roboticallycontrolled carton remover system 160. As an example, the angle positionindicator may be a potentiometer.

Carton sensor 191 may be attached to base 166 of manipulator 162 (FIG.5) so that the carton extraction or unloading area adjacent tomanipulator 162 may be viewed or scanned. For instance, carton sensor191 may measure the distance to a selected carton 12 so that manipulator162 may be appropriately positioned to extract or unload the selectedcarton 12. In an alternate embodiment, carton sensor 191 may be a cartonedge detector. A visualization sensor may be attached to angled plate128 of chassis 121 for viewing the inside of semi-trailer 10,robotically controlled carton remover system 160 and cartons 12 withincarton pile 11.

Operation

During operation, an operator may start robotic carton unloader 100 toinitiate a startup and homing sequence to verify operation of thevarious systems and to move systems components to a home position. Forexample, control and visualization system 180 may undergo test routinesto calibrate and home robotically controlled carton remover system 160,to pivot and position frame 178 behind a leading edge of robotic cartonunloader 100, and to test activate conveyors of conveyor system 135.After the startup tests and homing routines are completed, the operatormanually may select a drive selection on operator interface 185, anduses joystick 186 to steer and drive robotic carton unloader 100 intosemi-trailer 10. Robotic carton unloader 100 may be advanced intosemi-trailer 10 until the at least one proximity sensor 193 signals tothe operator, via control and visualization system 180, that roboticcarton unloader 100 is positioned adjacent to carton pile 11.

Upper carton sensor 189 may be used to identify a height and a front ofcarton pile 11, and control and visualization system 180 can use thisinformation to position manipulator 162 adjacent to the identifiedposition of carton pile 11. Carton sensor 191 on manipulator 162 mayrescan carton pile 11 to refine the carton location data to ensureaccurate selection and unloading of cartons 12.

FIG. 2 shows robotic carton unloader 100 unloading cartons 12 fromsemi-trailer 10 and the arrows are provided to show the paths of aplurality of cartons 12 a-12 h as they are unloaded from carton pile 11and through robotic carton unloader 100. In FIG. 2, control andvisualization system 180 selected carton 12 a for unloading from cartonpile 11 (e.g., the top of the carton pile 11), and roboticallycontrolled carton remover system 160 is raking or dislodging carton 12 afrom carton pile 11.

Carton 12 a may be tipped and drawn back by manipulator 162 towardsshelf 176. Note that bumper 170 of carton guide system 175 may bepressed (e.g., deliberately) against carton pile 11 directly belowcarton 12 a to stabilize carton pile 11 therebelow. Once the top row ofcartons 12 is removed from carton pile 11, control and visualizationsystem 180 can actuate frame lift 179 and possibly drive motors 126, 127to reposition bumper 170 and carton guide system 175 against carton pile11 below the new topmost row of cartons 12 slated for removal.

Turning back to FIG. 2, carton 12 b is sliding down and off curved shelf176 just prior to falling or dropping onto the moving conveyor system135. Carton 12 c is transiting from trailing conveyor 142 onto centralconveyor 138 to join carton 12 d traveling rearward thereon. Cartons 12e and 12 f are moving upwards and rearwards along portion 137 b of rearconveyor 137. Unloaded carton 12 g is shown discharging from portion 137a of rear conveyor 137, and onto distribution center conveyor 19 fordelivery into the distribution center. As the height of carton pile 11is reduced, frame lift 179 may lower carton guide system 175 downward.

In an embodiment, when shelf 176 may be lowered into contact withconveyor system 135, shelf 176 may be operatively configured to deflector collapse against conveyor system 135. This deflection or collapse mayreduce the height of shelf 176, which may enable robotically controlledcarton remover system 160 to reach over the collapsed shelf 176 to reachlower cartons 12. Once a dislodged lower carton 12 may be drawn onto thecollapsed shelf 176, robotically controlled carton remover system 160and shelf 176 may be raised to dump carton 12 onto conveyor system 135.

As described previously and best shown in FIG. 6, roller 144 may belocated adjacent to conveyor system 135 and may be rotated by rollerdrive motor 147. As shown, roller 144 is cylindrical with a length and acircular cross section. Roller 144 is rotated in a direction that liftsany carton 12 upwardly when contacted by roller 144. Once lifted, therotating roller 144 can draw carton 12 downstream onto roller 144 andonto moving conveyor system 135 for extraction. These processes mayrepeat as required until all of the cartons 12 are unloaded fromsemi-trailer 10.

Alternate Embodiments

FIG. 7 shows an alternate roller 194 having a length and a non-circularcross section such as a hexagonal cross section. Other suitable crosssection configurations for roller 194 may be used, such as octagonal orribbed cross section. The non-circular cross section extends lengthwisealong roller 194 and is placed in front of conveyor system 135. Roller194 may have a plurality of roller corners 195 extending lengthwisealong the alternate roller 194 and when rotated, roller corners 195create rotating ridges of high pressure that impact and dig into cartons12. The combinations of upward rotating lines of pressure and impacthave been proven to be effective in dislodging cartons 12.

FIG. 7 further includes carton scoop 196 extending from conveyor arms141 frontwards of roller 194. Carton scoop 196 may be wedge shaped andat least a portion of carton scoop 196 can be a curve 197. Leading edge198 of carton scoop 196 may be driven underneath carton 12 resting onfloor 18. Carton scoop 196 may be configured to act as an inclined rampthat lifts and tilts carton 12 while moving underneath. As shown, thetilted carton 12 in FIG. 7 may have at least one edge thereof lifted offfloor 18. Carton 12 then slides and rides up along carton scoop 196until contacting rotating roller 194 to further lift and pull carton 12downstream onto conveyor system 135. While carton scoop 196 is shownwith roller 194, carton scoop 196 may, in another embodiment, also beused with roller 144. Additionally, in another embodiment, carton scoop196 may be used without rollers 194 or 144 and can attach directly infront of moving conveyor system 135 (not shown).

While robotic carton unloader 100 is described above for unloading asemi-trailer 10, robotic carton unloader 100 of the present embodimentis not limited for use solely thereto, and is well suited for unloadingcartons 12 in other settings such as within a store, a warehouse, adistribution center, an unloading bay, between product aisles, a rack, apallet, and a freezer.

With respect to the actuators and lifts described as first and secondactuators 168, 169 or frame lift 179, these actuators are not limited toelectrical actuators, but can be a fluidic actuator operable withcompressible or incompressible fluids, such as air and oil.

Vacuum Pick Head

FIGS. 8-13 illustrate an alternate robotically controlled carton removersystem 260 that has a manipulator having a conformable face, such as avacuum manipulator 162, to grasp, draw, and drop cartons 12 from thecarton wall or carton pile 11 onto a body conveyor system 235. The bodyconveyor system 235 is shown in different embodiments in FIGS. 14 and31, and was simulated in testing of the vacuum manipulator 162 with atable top as shown in FIGS. 8-13. Additionally, during the testing, anedge of the table top was used as a bumper 170 to stabilize the cartonpile 11 during the removal of the cartons 12 therefrom. FIGS. 8-13 showsnapshots of the vacuum manipulator 162 in operation as it grasps,draws, and drops cartons 12 onto the body conveyor system 235.

FIG. 8 shows the vacuum manipulator 162 approaching the carton wall orcarton pile 11. The vacuum manipulator is aimed at cartons 12 a, 12 b,and 12 c. Carton 12 a juts out of the carton pile 11. The vacuummanipulator 162 has a plurality of vacuum cups 164 with each vacuum cup164 mounted at an end of a respective guide rod 165. The guide rods 165are hollow and slidably mounted in a guide frame 167. Springs 166 areconnected between the guide rods 165 and the guide frame 168 to bias theguide rods 165 forward. A stop 169 is located on a middle portion ofeach of the guide rods 165 to stop forward movement of the guide rods165 when stops 169 contact the guide frame 167. The guide frame 167 isheld by a frame 168 that is movable towards and away from the cartonpile 11, such as by a robotic positioner (e.g., a robotic arm). Vacuumlines 173 connect to each of the hollow guide rods 165 to supply vacuumto the vacuum cups 164 provide by a vacuum source 171 connected to eachvacuum line 173.

FIG. 9 shows the vacuum manipulator 162 brought into contact with theuneven face of the carton pile 11 and moved forward towards the cartonpile 11 to ensure that vacuum cups 164 are brought into suction contactwith carton 12 b. Note that the guide rods 165 that are attached to thevacuum cups 164 in contact with carton 12 a are moved farther rearwardthan the guide rods 165 associated with the vacuum cups 164 in contactwith carton 12 b.

In FIG. 10, the arms 12 have been elevated to lift cartons 12 a and 12 bfrom the carton pile 11. In FIG. 11, the arms 12 have moved rearwardpulling the guide frame 168 rearward until the stops 169 of the guiderods 165 contact the rearward moving guide frame 168. Once the stops 99associated with a carton 12 a, 12 b are in contact with the rearwardmoving guide frame 168, the carton 12 a, 12 b begins moving rearward.Since the cartons 12 a and 12 b are staggered, the stops associated withcarton 12 b make contact before the stops of carton 12 a, and carton 12b begins moving rearward before carton 12 a. In this view, both carton12 a and 12 b are being drawn rearward by the moving vacuum manipulator162. In FIG. 12, the rearward moving vacuum manipulator 162 has pulledcartons 12 a, 12 b off of the carton pile and a front end of each carton12 a, 12 b is resting on the body conveyor system 235. In FIG. 13, thevacuum is turned off, and the cartons 12 a and 12 b have fallen fullonto the body conveyor system 235 for removal.

FIG. 14 is a right side sectional view of another embodiment roboticcarton unloader 400 including a manipulator, such as vacuum manipulator408, that includes a conformable face configured to conform toirregularities of a carton pile. The robotic carton unloader 400 may besimilar to robotic carton unloader 100 described above with reference toFIGS. 1-6, and may include a mobile body 402 and robotically controlledcarton remover system 404 similar to those described above. Onedifference between the robotic carton unloader 400 and robotic cartonunloader 100, may be that robotic carton unloader 400 may include avacuum manipulator 408 coupled to the robotic positioner 406. Therobotic positioner 406 may be any type robotic arm, such as the FANUC®Robot R-1000ia sold by FANUC® Robotics America Corporation describedabove, and may extend the vacuum manipulator 408 forward toward thecarton pile 11, backward (or rearward) from the carton pile 11, to theleft, to the right, and/or rotate the vacuum manipulator 408. Therobotic positioner 406 and vacuum manipulator 408 may be connected to acontrol and visualization system, such as control and visualizationsystem 180 described above, and the control and visualization system maycontrol the operations of the robotic positioner 406, vacuum manipulator408, and mobile body 402 to unload cartons from the carton pile 11. Forexample, the control and visualization system may monitor sensor inputsreceived from sensors on the robotic positioner 406 and/or vacuummanipulator 408, and send control signals, such as electrical controlsignals or fluid control signals, to motors, valves, actuators, and/orother devices of the robotic positioner 406 and/or vacuum manipulator408 to control the robotic positioner 406 and/or vacuum manipulator 408based on the sensor inputs to unload cartons from the carton pile 11. Asused herein, the term fluid may refer to any compressible orincompressible fluid. Examples of fluids may include air, oil, etc.

FIG. 15 is an isometric view of the right side of the vacuum manipulator408 according to an embodiment. The vacuum manipulator 408 may comprisea manipulator frame 410 coupled to and configured to support a guideframe 412. The vacuum manipulator 408 may include one or more banks ofcarton connectors (e.g., vacuum rods), such as a first bank of vacuumrods 416, a second bank of vacuum rods, 418, and a third bank of vacuumrods 420. The each vacuum rod of the banks of vacuum rods 416, 418, and420, may be supported by and extend through holes in the guide frame 412from an internal portion of the vacuum manipulator 408 out to the frontface of the guide frame 412. In an embodiment, the guide frame 412 maybe a solid block, such as a resin (e.g., Delrin®) block, with a seriesof holes drilled through the block. The vacuum rods of each bank ofvacuum rods 416, 418, and 420 may pass through the holes to extend outfrom and into the guide frame 412 and vacuum manipulator 408. In thismanner, the banks of vacuum rods 416, 418, and 420 may form aconformable face of the vacuum manipulator 408. A top cover 414 may beaffixed to the manipulator frame 410 to protect the vacuum rods andother devices housed within the vacuum manipulator 408.

In an embodiment, the banks of pluralities of carton connectors, such asbanks of vacuum rods 416, 418, and 420, may be comprised of a series ofvacuum rods having vacuum cups affixed to one end. In an embodiment, thevacuum cups in each bank 416, 418, and 420 may be of differentdiameters, such that the banks 416, 418, and 420 are comprised of atleast one vacuum rod having a major vacuum cup 422 and at least onevacuum rod having a minor vacuum cup 424. For example, the banks 416,418, and 420, may be comprised of parallel rows of major vacuum cups 422and minor vacuum cups 424, such as two vertically aligned parallel rowsof major vacuum cups 422 disposed above a vertically offset parallel rowof minor vacuum cups 424. In an embodiment, the banks of vacuum rods416, 418, and 420 may include the same number of vacuum rods and vacuumcups. In another embodiment, the banks of vacuum rods 416, 418, and 420may include different numbers of vacuum rods and vacuum cups. Forexample, the first bank 416 and the third bank 420 may each include tworows of five major vacuum cups 422 and one row of four minor vacuum cups424, while the second bank 418 (e.g., the middle bank) includes two rowsof four major vacuum cups 422 and one row of three minor vacuum cups424. In another embodiment, the rows of vacuum cups may includedifferent types of vacuum cups, such as both major vacuum cups 422 andminor vacuum cups 424. In an embodiment, the diameter of the majorvacuum cups 422 may be relatively larger than the diameter of the minorvacuum cups 424. In an embodiment, the major vacuum cups 422 and minorvacuum cups 424 may have the same or different surface textures, be madefrom the same or different materials, and/or may have the same ordifferent deflection depths. While discussed in terms of two differenttypes of vacuum cups, major vacuum cups 422 and minor vacuum cups 424, asingle type of vacuum cup or more than two different types of vacuumcups may be used in the various embodiments.

Each of the vacuum rods of each bank of vacuum rods 416, 418, and 420may be connected to a respective bank of vacuum generators. A first bankof vacuum generators 442 is illustrated in FIG. 15 coupled to themanipulator frame 410. An opposite end of the vacuum rod may include avacuum coupling which may be connected by a vacuum line to one of thevacuum generators of the first bank of vacuum generators 442. Inoperation the vacuum generators may draw a vacuum which may pull fluidthrough the vacuum lines, through the respective vacuum rods and throughthe respective vacuum cups. In an embodiment, the vacuum drawn throughthe respective vacuum rods and through the respective vacuum cups mayenable the conformable face of the vacuum manipulator 408 to attach tocontacted cartons of the carton pile 11 to unload the contacted cartonsfrom the carton pile 11.

In an embodiment, the vacuum manipulator 408 may include a moveableshelf, such as a sliding shelf 426, that may extend in the samedirection as the banks of vacuum rods 416, 418, 420 (e.g., forward andreward when the vacuum manipulator 408 is parallel to the floor of thefloor of the truck or trailer) by moving in and out of the manipulatorframe 410. The sliding shelf 426 is illustrated refracted into thevacuum manipulator 408 in FIG. 15. In various embodiments, a moveableshelf, such as sliding shelf 426, may be moveable towards and away fromthe carton pile, such as by sliding towards and away from the cartonpile. The sliding shelf 426 may be configured to catch one or morecartons dislodged from carton pile 11 and guide the cartons onto aconveyor system. A bumper 428 may be coupled to an edge of the slidingshelf 426. The bumper 428 may be configured to be pressed against thecarton pile 11 below one or more cartons being dislodged (e.g., removed)from the carton pile 11 by the vacuum manipulator 408 to stabilize thecarton pile below the one or more cartons being dislodged. In thismanner, the moveable shelf may include a bumper to stabilize the cartonpile 11 as cartons are unloaded. In an additional embodiment, themoveable shelf, such as sliding shelf 426, may pivot or rotate to swingdown from a position parallel to the floor of the truck or trailer to aposition perpendicular to the floor of the truck or trailer. In anembodiment, the entire sliding shelf 426 may pivot or rotate. In anotherembodiment, a portion of the sliding shelf may pivot or rotate. Forexample, a pivoting portion of the sliding shelf may be attached by ahinge or other type joint to a stationary portion of the sliding shelfand the pivoting portion may pivot or rotate relative to the stationaryportion.

In an embodiment, the vacuum manipulator 408 may include at least onecarton connector, such as a vacuum rod, configured to extend out from aside of the manipulator perpendicular to the conformable face of thevacuum manipulator 408. In an embodiment, the vacuum manipulator mayinclude at least one carton connector configured to extend out from aside of the manipulator perpendicular to the conformable face as one ormore banks of vacuum rods disposed on one or both of the left and/orright sides of the manipulator frame 410. A right side bank of vacuumrods 444 is illustrated in FIG. 15. The side banks of vacuum rods may beoriented in different directions than the banks of vacuum rods 416, 418,and 420 extending from the front of the vacuum manipulator 408. Forexample, the side banks of vacuum rods may extend perpendicular to thefront of the vacuum manipulator and/or in other directions/orientations.In an embodiment, the bank of vacuum rods 444 may comprise one or morevacuum rods 444, such as two vacuum rods, having vacuum cups, such asminor vacuum cups 424, affixed to one end. The right side bank of vacuumrods 444 may be configured to extend and retract out of and into theright side of the manipulator frame 410. In operation the right sidebank of vacuum rods 444 may extend out from the vacuum manipulator 408to contact, attach to, and dislodge (e.g., remove) cartons arranged tothe right side of vacuum manipulator 408. When unloading cartons from atruck or trailer, the unloading of cartons from the center portion ofthe carton pile 11 may result in columns of cartons arranged along thesides of the truck or trailer that may be difficult for a vacuummanipulator 408 to reach with the banks of vacuum rods 416, 418, and 420extending from the front of the vacuum manipulator 408. The side banksof vacuum rods, such as right side bank of vacuum rods 444, may extendfrom the manipulator frame 410 to contact and manipulate cartons inthese columns of cartons arranged along the sides of the truck ortrailer. The side banks of vacuum rods through their own retraction orin combination with movement of the vacuum manipulator 408 caused by therobotic positioner 406 may pull these side cartons to a position inwhich the vacuum manipulator 408 may engage the cartons with the banksof vacuum rods 416, 418, and 420 extending from the front of the vacuummanipulator 408. Alternatively, the side banks of vacuum rods throughtheir own refraction or in combination with movement of the vacuummanipulator 408 caused by the robotic positioner 406 may remove thecartons from their respective columns and cause them to fall onto aconveyor system.

FIG. 16 is an isometric view of the left side of the vacuum manipulator408. FIG. 16 illustrates the left side bank of vacuum rods 446 includingminor vacuum cups 424 which may extend through the manipulator frame 410out to the left. Additionally, in FIG. 16 the first bank of vacuumgenerators 442, second bank of vacuum generators 448, and third bank ofvacuum generators 450 for each of the first bank of vacuum rods 416,second bank of vacuum rods 418, and third bank of vacuum rods 420 areillustrated coupled to the manipulator frame 410.

FIG. 17A is an isometric view and FIG. 17B is a side view of anembodiment carton connector, such as vacuum rod 429, having a majorvacuum cup 422 affixed to one end. The vacuum rod 429 may be comprisedof a hollow guide rod 430 to which the major vacuum cup 422 may beaffixed to one end and a vacuum coupling 434 may be affixed to anopposite end. Disposed along the guide rod 430, such as forward of thevacuum coupling 434, may be a stop 432. The stop 432 may be aprotrusion, such as a collar, ring, ridge, etc., affixed to and/orformed on the guide rod 430. Opposite the stop 432 along the guide rod430 may be a washer 438 set at or back from the point of attachment ofthe major vacuum cup 422. The washer 438 may be a collar, ring, ridge,etc., affixed to and/or formed on the guide rod 430. A compressionspring 436 may surround the guide rod 430 and extend from the washer 438on a side opposite the major vacuum cup 422. When compressed, thecompression spring 436 may push against the washer 438 exerting a forceagainst the washer 438. The hole through the center of the major vacuumcup 422, hole through the center of the guide rod 430, and the holethrough the vacuum coupling 434 may form a central passage 440 throughwhich fluid may travel from the major vacuum cup 422, through the centerof the guide rod 430, and out the vacuum coupling 434, thereby travelingthrough the vacuum rod 429.

FIG. 18A is an isometric view and FIG. 18B is a side view of theembodiment carton connector, such as vacuum rod 429, described abovewith reference to FIGS. 17A and 17B, except in FIGS. 18A and 18B thecarton connector, such as vacuum rod 429, is illustrated including aminor vacuum cup 424 affixed to one end. Series of vacuum rods 429 withmajor vacuum cups 422 and/or minor vacuum cups 424 may comprise thefirst bank of vacuum rods 416, second bank of vacuum rods 418, and/orthird bank of vacuum rods 420. When the vacuum rod 429 contacts asurface of a carton, the major vacuum cup 422 or minor vacuum cup 424may deflect and/or compress due to the force of the carton and the guiderod 430 exerted against the major vacuum cup. The deflection and/orcompression distance of the major vacuum cup 422 or minor vacuum cup 424may depend on various factors, such as material properties of the vacuumcup, diameter of the vacuum cup, etc. In one embodiment, the maximumdeflection of the major vacuum cup 422 or minor vacuum cup 424 may be1.19 inches. Other embodiment maximum deflection or compressiondistances may be greater than 1.19 inches or less than 1.19 inches.

FIG. 19 is a partial isometric view of the right side of the vacuummanipulator 408 with the top cover 414 shown clear to provide a view ofthe internal configuration of the vacuum manipulator. FIG. 19illustrates that the vacuum rods pass through the guide frame 412 andthrough plates, such as a first plate 468 associated with the first bankof vacuum rods 416 and a second plate 470 associated with the secondbank of vacuum rods 418. All the vacuum rods for the first bank ofvacuum rods 416 are illustrated, but a number of vacuum rods for thesecond bank of vacuum rods 418 are removed for illustration purposes.With the vacuum rods removed, the guide frame openings 454 (e.g., holes)in the guide frame 412 are visible as well as the plate openings 455(e.g., holes) in the second plate 470. The vacuum rods may extendthrough the guide frame 412 and through their respective plates 468 and470 and may slide through the guide frame 412 and their respectiveplates 468 and 470.

The first plate 468 and the second plate 470 may each be slidablymounted within the manipulator frame 410 and may move forward toward theguide frame 412 and backward (e.g., rearward) away from the guide frame412. In an embodiment retraction cylinders 474 may be coupled to theplates and may be actuated to move the plates within the manipulatorframe 410. For example, the retraction cylinders 474 may be mountedbetween the plates and the guide frame 412, such that the retractioncylinders 474 extend from the back surface of the guide frame 412 in anopposite direction of the vacuum cups of the banks of vacuum rods 416,418, and 420. The extension rods of the refraction cylinders 474 mayextend through the plates and contact u-shaped brackets 472 located on aback surface of the plates. In operation, as the retraction cylinders474 extend their extension rods, the extension rods may exert force onthe u-shaped brackets 472 pushing the plates away from the guide frame412. In an embodiment, the retraction cylinders 474 may be compressedfluid (e.g., air) cylinders configured to extend the extension rods whencompressed fluid (e.g., air) is supplied. For example, one or morevalves of a compressed fluid (e.g., air) distributor may be controlledby the control and visualization system to be closed to providecompressed fluid (e.g., air) to the retraction cylinders 474 to extendthe extension rods and the one or more valves may be controlled to beopened to vent the cylinders 474 to the atmosphere, thereby allowing theextension rods to be retracted and the plate to slide forward toward theguide frame 412.

As illustrated in FIG. 19, the stops 432 a and 432 b of guide rods 430 aand 430 b, respectively, contact the first plate 468. When the firstplate 468 is slid all the way forward toward the guide frame 412 (e.g.,when the extension rods of retraction cylinders 474 are not extended),stops 432 a and 432 b may contact the first plate 468 and prevent theirrespective guide rods 430 a and 430 b from moving farther forward. Asthe first plate 468 slides back away from the guide frame 412 due toextension of the extension rods applying force to the u-shaped brackets472, the first plate 468 applies force against the stops 432 a and 432 bto pull guide rods 430 a and 430 b back through the guide frame 412,thereby compressing the compression springs of the respective vacuumrods between the front face of the guide frame 412 and the respectivewashers. In this manner, the vacuum rods may be retracted back into thevacuum manipulator 408 to prevent damage, such as bending, breaking,etc. of the vacuum rods. For example, the vacuum rods may be retractedduring movement of the robotic carton unloader 400 and/or roboticpositioner 406 to protect the vacuum rods from damage. When theextension rods of the retraction cylinders 474 are no longer exertingforce against the u-shaped brackets 472, the force of the compressionsprings of the various vacuum rods pushing on the guide frame 412 andthe various washers may drive the vacuum rods forward out of the guideframe 412. In this manner, each of the various vacuum rods may be biasedtowards the carton pile by its spring. The stops 432, such as stops 432a and 432 b, may exert force on the plates, such as the first plate 468,to pull the plates forward toward the guide frame 412 as the compressionsprings extend the vacuum rods. As the extension and retraction of thevacuum rods is controlled by the compression springs and/or theretraction cylinders 474, respectively, the vacuum rods may beconsidered spring loaded passive suction devices. In an embodiment, thevarious plates associated with each respective bank of vacuum rods mayhave the same number of respective u-shaped brackets 472 and retractioncylinders 474. In another embodiment, the plates may have differentnumbers of respective u-shaped brackets 472 and retraction cylinders474. For example, the middle plate 470 may be associated with twou-shaped brackets 472 and two retraction cylinders 474, while the outerplates (e.g., first plate 468 and third plate 471) may be associatedwith three u-shaped brackets 472 and three retraction cylinders 474.

FIG. 19 also illustrates aspects of the first bank of vacuum generators442, including a vacuum line 452 connected between one of the vacuumgenerators and the vacuum coupling 434 b of one of the vacuum rods ofthe first bank of vacuum rods 416. Other vacuum generators and vacuumcouplings, such as vacuum coupling 434 a, may be connected in a similarmanner, but are illustrated without vacuum lines 452 for clarity ofillustration. The vacuum lines 452 may be any type connection, such asflexible tubes, pipes, hoses, etc. The vacuum generators may receivecompressed fluid (e.g., air) from a compressed fluid (e.g., air)manifold 476. The compressed fluid may flow to each of the vacuumgenerators from the compressed fluid manifold 476 and be forced acrossan opening connected to the respective vacuum line 452 and out anexhaust 478. In this manner, the vacuum generator may act as an educatordrawing fluid through the vacuum line 452 and through the centralpassage 440 of the vacuum, and drawing a vacuum or partial vacuum whenthe vacuum cups contact a surface of a carton. In an embodiment, eachbank of vacuum generators 442, 448, and 450 may have its own respectivecompressed fluid manifold 476.

The compressed fluid manifolds 476 and other fluid actuated devices,such as retraction cylinders 474, may receive compressed fluid (e.g.,air) from compressed fluid (e.g., air) distributor 480. Compressed fluidlines may connect the compressed fluid manifolds 476 and other fluidactuated devices, such as retraction cylinders 474, to the compressedfluid distributor 480. The compressed fluid distributor 480 may receivecompressed fluid (e.g., air) from a main compressed fluid connection andmay comprise a series of valves remotely controllable by the control andvisualization system, such as electrically operated valves, that may becycled open and closed to provide compressed fluid from the maincompressed fluid connection to the compressed fluid manifolds 476 andother fluid actuated devices, such as retraction cylinders 474 of thevacuum manipulator 408. In an embodiment, the vacuum manipulator 408 mayhave one compressed fluid distributor 480. In another embodiment, morethan one compressed fluid distributor 480 may be present on the vacuummanipulator.

FIG. 20 is an isometric view of the right side of the vacuum manipulator408 with the second bank of vacuum rods 418 extended and the slidingshelf 426 retracted. The first bank of vacuum rods 416, the second bankof vacuum rods 418, and the third bank of vacuum rods 420 may beindependently extendable and retractable. In this manner, each bank of aplurality of carton connectors, such as the first bank of vacuum rods416, the second bank of vacuum rods 418, and the third bank of vacuumrods 420, may be configured to move independent of the other banks ofpluralities of carton connectors towards the carton pile to conform toirregularities of the carton pile by contact therewith and to moveindependent of the other banks of pluralities of carton connectors awayfrom the carton pile to unload the contacted cartons. As illustrated inFIG. 20, when the second bank of vacuum rods 418 is extended thecompression springs 436 of the various vacuum rods expand out from theguide frame 412 pushing against the washers 438 to extend the vacuumcups forward. As illustrated in FIG. 20 by the extension of the vacuumrods 418, as the various vacuum rods may extend through the guide frame412 to extend the vacuum cups away from the guide frame 412 andmanipulator frame 410. The range of extension of the vacuum rods may bebased on the length of the guide rods 430, uncompressed length of thesprings 436, location of the stops 432, separation distance between theplates 468, 470, 471 and the guide frame 412, and/or the depth of guideframe 412. However, the extension of the vacuum rods may enable thevacuum cups to be extend out a range from the guide frame 412 that islonger than the depth of the vacuum cups and beyond the distance thevacuum cups extend in the retracted state. In this manner, the vacuumcups may be extended to reach deeper into the carton pile 11 to reachcartons that may not be aligned with the front face of the carton pile11 because the vacuum cups may be extended beyond their own depthforward from the retracted position to any position over the range.Additionally, because the vacuum rods are in effect spring loadedpassive suction devices that may move freely through the guide frame 412and the plates 468, 470, 471 limited only by the stops 432, washers 438,and springs 436, the vacuum rods may also deflect the same rangebackward from their fully extended position back to their retractedposition. In this manner, each carton connector, such as each vacuumrod, and therefore the banks of vacuum rods 416, 418, and 420, maydeflect to conform to the face of the carton pile 11, and theconformable face of the manipulator may be configured to passivelyconform to irregularities of the carton pile 11 to unload the cartonpile 11 by contact therewith. In an embodiment, the deflection may bethe range of extension distance plus any deflection/compression distanceof the vacuum cups themselves. In this manner, the effective deflectiondistance may be greater than the deflection distance of the vacuum cupsthemselves.

FIG. 21 is a side sectional view of the right side of the vacuummanipulator 408 along the line A-A shown in FIG. 20. In FIG. 21, thecentral passage 440 and the pathway from the vacuum generator throughthe vacuum line 452 and vacuum coupling 432 is visible. Additionally,compressed fluid line 477 coupling the compressed fluid manifold 476 tothe vacuum generator is illustrated. As illustrated in FIG. 21, thecompression springs 436 for the second bank of vacuum rods are extended,while the compression springs 436 for the first bank of vacuum rods arecompressed between the washer 438 and guide frame 412. Additionally, theside actuators 482 for the two vacuum cups of the right side bank ofvacuum rods 444 are shown in FIG. 21.

FIG. 22 is an isometric view of the right side of the vacuum manipulator408 with the top cover and various vacuum rods removed for clarity ofillustration. FIG. 22 illustrates the sliding shelf 426 retracted andall banks 416, 418, and 420 retracted. Additionally, the right side bankof vacuum rods 444 is retracted. The sliding shelf 426 may be coupled toone or more pneumatic cylinders 484, such as two pneumatic cylinders484, that may drive the sliding shelf 426 in and out of the vacuummanipulator 408. In an embodiment, pneumatic cylinders 484 may bepneumatic rodless fluid (e.g., air) cylinders with magnetic coupling.Each pneumatic cylinder 484 may include an outside collar that slides onthe outside of a fluid (e.g., air) cylinder and is magnetically coupledto an inside piston through the cylinder wall. The outside collars maybe coupled to the sliding shelf 426 and as they piston drives forward orbackward the magnetically coupled collars drive the sliding shelf 426forward or backward, respectively. The magnetic coupling of the collarsmay provide a magnetic decoupling should the sliding shelf 426 impactthe carton pile 11 with too high an impact force. In this manner, damageto the sliding shelf 426 and/or the carton pile 11 may be avoided. Thecollars may re-couple magnetically with the piston when the pistonretracts. The pneumatic cylinders 484 may be coupled to the compressedfluid distributor 480 and received compressed fluid (e.g., air) toextend and retract the sliding shelf 426 based on the control andvisualization system controlling the valves of the compressed fluiddistributor 480.

FIG. 23 is an isometric view of the right side of the vacuum manipulator408 with the second bank of vacuum rods 418, the right side bank ofvacuum rods 444, and the sliding shelf 426 extended. Other vacuum rodshave been removed for clarity of illustration. As illustrated in FIG.23, when the sliding shelf 426 is extended the collars of the pneumaticcylinders 484 may be moved forward to extend the sliding shelf 426. Inan embodiment, the sliding shelf 426 may slide forward on rails 486mounted between the sliding shelf 426 and the manipulator frame 410.Rails 486 may be any type rails enabling the sliding shelf 426 to extendfrom and retract into the vacuum manipulator, such as roller slides. Thesliding shelf 426 may be a continuous shelf or a modular shelf and mayinclude various shelf cutouts 488.

FIG. 23 also shows that the plate 470 associated with the second bank ofvacuum rods 418 may move forward when the vacuum rods are extended bythe compression springs 436, while the first plate 468 and third plate471 remain retracted all the way back, thereby compressing thecompression springs 436.

FIG. 24 is an isometric view of the left under-side of the vacuummanipulator 408 with the sliding shelf 426 and banks of vacuum rods 416,418, and 420 extended. Because all banks of vacuum rods 416, 418, and420 are extended, all plates 468, 470, and 471 are pulled forward to thesame location. The collars of the pneumatic cylinders 484 may also beseen pushed forward with the sliding shelf 426. The left side bank ofvacuum rods 446 is illustrated retracted. FIG. 25 is an isometric viewof the left under-side of the vacuum manipulator 408 with the slidingshelf 426 extended and banks of vacuum rods 416, 418, and 420 retracted.The extension rods of the retraction cylinders 474 are all extendeddriving the plates 468, 470, and 471 reward and compressing thecompression springs 436 as the washers 438 and vacuum cups are pulledback to the guide frame 412. FIG. 25 also illustrates the underside viewof the side actuators 482 for the right side bank of vacuum rods 444 andthe left side bank of vacuum rods 446. The side actuators 482 may beaffixed to cross beams 490 running parallel to the guide frame 12.

FIG. 26A, 26B, 27A, 27B, 28A, 28B, 29A, and 29B are partial top and sidesectional views, respectively, of the left side of the vacuummanipulator 408 in contact with the carton pile 11 at various timesduring carton removal operations. Only the vacuum rods with minor vacuumcups 424 are illustrated for clarity.

Initially during carton removal operations, the control andvisualization system may measure the distance to the carton pile 11,such as using a sensor (e.g., a camera other type of carton sensor), andposition the vacuum manipulator 408 an initial distance from the face ofthe carton pile 11. As illustrated in FIGS. 26A and 26B, at a first timeafter positioning the vacuum manipulator 408, the compressed fluid tothe retraction cylinders 474 associated with the second bank of vacuumrods 418 and the third bank of vacuum rods 420 may be de-energized,thereby allowing the compression springs 436 to drive the second bank ofvacuum rods 418 and third bank of vacuum rods 420 forward until thevarious vacuum cups contact (or engage) the cartons 12H and 12I to beremoved. Carton 12H may be closer to the vacuum manipulator 408 thancarton 12I, so the vacuum rods 420A, 420B, and 420C, may not extend asfar as vacuum rods 420D, 418A, and 418B. Vacuum rod 418C may extendfully until its stop 434 contacts plate 470 because no carton is presentin front of vacuum rod 418C to impede its extension. The sliding shelf426 may remain retracted. As illustrated in FIG. 26A, the ability ofeach vacuum rod 420A, 420B, 420C, 420D, 418A, 418B, and 418C to extendand deflect independently over a range enables the conformable face ofthe vacuum manipulator 408 formed by the banks of vacuum rods 418 and420 to conform to the shape of the face of the carton pile 11, therebyconforming to the irregularities of the carton pile 11. For example,when the rods 420A, 420B, 420C, 420D, 418A, 418B, and 418C are extendedthe full extension range initially and the vacuum manipulator 408 isdriven forward into the carton pile 11, the rods 420A, 420B, and 420Ccontacting closer box 12H may deflect further backward than the rods420D, 418A, and 418B contacting farther box 12I. In an embodiment, theextension range may be 9.5 inches, greater than 9.5 inches, or less than9.5 inches. The vacuum cups may be enabled to deflect the full extensionrange plus their own deflection depth. A vacuum cup may be deflected thefull extension range by the surface of a carton until the vacuum rodspring 436 and washer 438 contact the guide frame and still further backthe deflection distance of the vacuum cup itself. For example, when thedeflection depth of the vacuum cup is 1.19 inches from the edge of thevacuum cup to the forward end of the hollow guide tube 430 and theextended range is 9.5 inches, the vacuum cup may deflect a maximumdistance of 10.69 inches from its max extension to max deflection. Asanother example, when the rods 420A, 420B, 420C, 420D, 418A, 418B, and418C are retracted initially and the vacuum manipulator 408 is drivenforward before the rods are extended, the rods 420A, 420B, and 420Ccontacting closer box 12H may extend a shorter distance forward than therods 420D, 418A, and 418B contacting farther box 12I which may extendthe full extension range. The ability of the vacuum rods to extendbeyond the retracted state may enable cartons set back from the face ofthe carton pile 11 to be reached/grasped while cartons at or extendingfrom the face of the carton pile 11 are also reached/grasped. In thismanner, the vacuum manipulator 408 may conform to an uneven carton pile11 and unload cartons at different depths in the carton pile 11 at thesame time.

As illustrated in FIGS. 27A and 27B, at a second time the vacuum may beapplied by the vacuum generators to the second bank of vacuum rods 418and the third bank of vacuum rods 420 to grip the cartons 12H and 12Iwith the vacuum cups via suction thereby effectively attaching thevacuum rods 420A, 420B, 420C, 420D, 418A, and 418B to the cartons 12Hand 12I. The compressed fluid may be energized to the retractioncylinders 474 which may drive the plates 470 and 471 backward. Vacuumrods at or near full extension, such as vacuum rods 420D, 418A, 418B,and 418C may begin retracting as the plates 470 and 471 start to movebackwards because these vacuum rods' stops 432 may already be in contactwith the plates 470 and 471, while vacuum rods not full extended, suchas vacuum rods 420A, 420B, and 420D may remain stationary until theirrespective stops 432 are contacted by the plates 470 and 471 movingbackward. In this manner, there may be a “dead zone” in which though avacuum has been applied and the vacuum manipulator 408 has started tomove some cartons, such as carton 12I, farther from the vacuummanipulator other closer cartons, such as carton 12H remain stationary.The sequential movement of cartons 12H and 12I based on their distancefrom the vacuum manipulator 408 and its resulting impact on the stops432 being contacted by the plates 470 and 471 may align the carton linebeing removed. Additionally, the vacuum manipulator 408 may be raised aheight 492 from its initial position by the robotic positioner 406 tolift the cartons 12H and 12I. The height 492 may be any height, forexample the height 492 may be two inches. Further the sliding shelf 426may be extended forward from the vacuum manipulator 408 to place thebumper 428 against the carton pile 11 to stabilize the carton pile 11below the cartons 12H and 12I being dislodged (e.g., removed). Asillustrated in FIGS. 28A and 28B, the plates 470 and 471 may be pushedbackwards until the compression springs 436 are fully compressed. Oncethe compression springs 436 are fully compressed, as illustrated inFIGS. 29A and 29B, the robotic positioner 406 may be actuated to retractthe vacuum manipulator 408 while the sliding shelf 426 is furtherextended away from the front face of the guide frame 412. In anembodiment, the sliding shelf 426 may be extended as the vacuummanipulator 408 is retracted, such that the sliding shelf 426 extends toover fifty percent of the distance to the center of gravity of thecartons 12H and 12I being removed. Once the cartons 12H and 12I are fullsupported by the sliding shelf 426, the sliding shelf 426 may retractand/or pivot or rotate down and the suction may be released for thevacuum cups, thereby dropping the cartons 12H and 12I onto a conveyorsystem.

FIG. 30A is a partial front side view of the vacuum manipulator 408 withthe right side bank of vacuum rods 444 retracted. On major vacuum cup422 of the first bank of vacuum rods 416 is removed for clarity ofillustration. The right side bank of vacuum rods 444 may be extended andrefracted by a side actuator 482 which may be an electric or pneumaticactuator that may drive hollow guide rode 496 to extend vacuum cups 424into and out of the right side of the manipulator frame 410. A vacuumcoupling 494 may connect the guide rod 496 to a vacuum generator via avacuum line to draw fluid (e.g., air) through the vacuum cup 424, theguide rod 496, and the vacuum coupling 494. FIG. 30B is the same view asFIG. 30A, except that the guide rod 496 is extended pushing the vacuumcup 424 out from the manipulator frame 410. In this manner, the rightside bank of vacuum rods 444 may be extended and retracted to dislodge(e.g., remove) boxes on the right side of the vacuum manipulator 408.The left side bank of vacuum rods 446 may be configured in a similarmanner to extend out the left side of the manipulator frame 410.

FIG. 31 is a right side sectional view of the robotic carton unloader400 extended to remove cartons from a floor of the truck or trailer. Inan embodiment, the vacuum manipulator 408 may rotate down, such as 90degrees, to face the vacuum cups toward the floor of the truck ortrailer. In this manner, the vacuum cups may contact (or engage) a topof carton 12X on the floor of the truck or trailer. A vacuum may beapplied by the vacuum generators to vacuum rods to grip the carton 12Xwith the vacuum cups via suction, and the robotic positioner 406 may bearticulated to lift the vacuum manipulator 408 and carton 12X to movethe carton to the conveyor system. FIG. 31 also illustrates in dottedline a first position of the vacuum manipulator 408 with the conformableface directed towards the carton pile 11, and a third position of thevacuum manipulator depositing the carton 12X on the conveyor system.

In an embodiment, the sliding shelf 426 may pivot or rotate to swingdown from a position parallel to the extension direction of the forwardfacing vacuum rods to a position perpendicular to forward facing vacuumrods. In an embodiment, the entire sliding shelf 426 may pivot orrotate. In another embodiment, a portion of the sliding shelf 426 maypivot or rotate. For example, a pivoting portion of the sliding shelfmay be attached by a hinge or other type joint to a stationary portionof the sliding shelf and the pivoting portion may pivot or rotaterelative to the stationary portion. FIG. 32A is a right side isometricview of a pivoting sliding shelf 426 according to an embodiment and FIG.32B is a left under-side isometric view of the same pivoting slidingshelf 426. The pivoting sliding shelf 426 may comprise a stationaryshelf 426 a and pivoting shelf or tray 426 b to which bumper 428 may beconnected. The stationary shelf 426 a may include attachment points 491for pneumatic cylinders 484 to attach to the stationary shelf 426 a todrive the pivoting sliding shelf 426 into and out of the manipulatorframe 410. In an embodiment the pivoting shelf or tray 426 b may berotationally coupled to the stationary shelf 426 a and/or to the rails486, such as by one or more hinges 499. In an embodiment, pistons 497,such as a pneumatic pistons, may be coupled between brackets 493 mountedto the stationary shelf 426 a and protruding arms 495 of the pivotingshelf or try 426 b. The extension of the rods of the pistons 497 mayraise and lower the pivoting shelf or tray 426 b.

FIGS. 33A-B are right side views of a manipulator including pivotingshelf or tray 426 b transitioning from a rotated down state to a rotatedup state. FIG. 33A illustrates the pivoting shelf or tray 426 b rotateddown, perpendicular to the stationary shelf 426 a. The rod of the piston497 may be refracted pulling the pivoting shelf or tray 426 b down. Inan embodiment, the pivoting shelf or tray 426 b may be rotated down todrop cartons onto a conveyor system and/or to enable the vacuum cups tobe positioned closer to cartons of a carton pile 11. As illustrated inFIG. 33A the pivoting shelf or tray 426 b may be rotated down when themanipulator is attached to the cartons of the carton pile 11. FIG. 33Billustrates the pivoting shelf or tray 426 b rotated partially upthrough its range of motion between a rotated down state and a rotatedup state. The rod of piston 497 may be partially extended/retracteddriving the protruding arm 495 forward/backward, thereby raising thepivoting shelf or tray 426 b up from a rotated down state or down from arotated up state, respectively. FIG. 33C illustrates the pivoting shelfor tray 426 b rotated up parallel to the stationary shelf 426 a. The rodof the piston 497 may be fully extended. In an embodiment, the pivotingshelf or tray 426 b may be rotated up to support cartons and/or to placethe bumper against the carton pile 11 to stabilize the carton pile 11.In an embodiment, the pivoting shelf or tray 426 b may be rotated upbefore the vacuum manipulator 408 is placed in position at the cartonpile 11. In another embodiment, the pivoting shelf or tray 426 b may berotated up after the vacuum manipulator 408 is placed in position at thecarton pile 11.

FIG. 34 is a process flow diagram illustrating an embodiment method 3300for controlling a robotic carton unloader including a manipulator, suchas vacuum manipulator 408 described above. In an embodiment, theoperations of method 3300 may be performed by a processor of a controland visualization system connected to a conveyor system, roboticpositioner, and manipulator to automatically control the conveyorsystem, robotic positioner, and manipulator to unload a carton pile.

In block 3302 the control and visualization system may measure adistance to the next row of a carton pile to be unloaded. For example,the control and visualization system may measure the distance using oneor more sensor, such as one or more camera or other carton sensor. Inblock 3304 the control and visualization system may position the vacuummanipulator a first distance away from the row. For example, thedistance may be a distance selected to enable the vacuum rods of thevacuum manipulator to extend to the cartons in the row. The control andvisualization system may use the measured distance to the next row ofthe carton pile to be unloaded determine the robotic positioner andmobile body actuations necessary to position the vacuum manipulator atthe first distance. In an embodiment where the vacuum manipulatorincludes a pivoting shelf or tray, the pivoting shelf or tray may berotated up as the vacuum manipulator is positioned or after the vacuummanipulator is brought into position. In block 3306 the control andvisualization system may determine the banks of vacuum rods needed toremove the cartons of the row. For example, the control andvisualization system may determine that one bank, two banks, and/orthree banks of vacuum rods may be activated. Removing cartons from eachrow may not require all banks to be selected for each carton removaloperation.

In block 3308 the control and visualization system may de-energize thefluid delivery to the retraction cylinders associated with the selectedbanks of vacuum rods. De-energizing the fluid delivery to the retractioncylinders may enable the compression springs of each selected bank todrive the vacuum rods forward to contact the cartons of the row. Inblock 3310 the control and visualization system may activate the vacuumfor the selected banks of vacuum rods to grip the cartons via suctionand raise the vacuum manipulator a selected height, such as two inches.Raising the vacuum manipulator may raise the cartons reducing thesurface area of cartons being moved in contact with cartons belowremaining in the carton pile, thereby making dislodging the cartonseasier.

In optional block 3311 the control and visualization system may raise apivoting shelf portion. As discussed above, in an optional embodiment, aportion of the moveable shelf may pivot or rotate. For example, apivoting portion of the sliding shelf may be attached by a hinge orother type joint to a stationary portion of the movable shelf thatmerely slides forward and backward, and the pivoting portion pivots orrotate relative to the sliding portion. In this manner, the moveableshelf slides and/or the moveable shelf pivots. The control andvisualization system may optionally raise the pivoting shelf portion tostabilize the carton pile during unloading of the carton pile. In block3312 the control and visualization system may re-energize the fluiddelivery to the retraction cylinders associated with the selected banksof vacuum rods and extend the shelf. As discussed above, though thefluid delivery may be re-energized, all vacuum rods may not begin movingat the time of fluid delivery and/or at the same time, because anindividual vacuum rod is passive and will not move until the respectiveplate contacts its respective stop. Thus, there may be a “dead zone” inwhich though a vacuum has been applied and the vacuum manipulator hasstarted to move some cartons, other vacuum rods and/or cartons mayremain still waiting for their stops to be contacted by plates. In anembodiment, the moveable shelf, or portions of the moveable shelf,slides and/or pivots, and the shelf may be extended at the same timefluid delivery is started, such as nearly the same time, or may bestarted at a different time. In block 3314 the control and visualizationsystem may retract the vacuum manipulator and extend the sliding shelf.The vacuum manipulator may be retracted by the robotic positioner as theshelf is extended such that the shelf extends over fifty percent of thedistance to the center of gravity of the cartons being removed.

In block 3316 the control and visualization system may position thevacuum manipulator over the conveyor system and in block 3318 thecontrol and visualization system may retract the shelf (and optionallylower a pivoting shelf portion in embodiments in which the shelf pivots)and release the vacuum. In an embodiment where the vacuum manipulatorincludes a pivoting shelf or tray, the pivoting shelf or tray may berotated down in addition to or in place of retracting the sliding shelfto drop the cartons. Whether through retracting the shelf, tipping thevacuum manipulator, and/or pivoting the shelf, the cartons may drop ontothe conveyor. The method 3300 may then return to block 3300 to measurethe distance to the next row of cartons to be unloaded.

The various embodiments may provide a robotic carton unloader forunloading a carton pile, comprising a conveyor system, a roboticpositioner, and a manipulator having a conformable face configured toconform to irregularities of the carton pile, the manipulator movablyattached to an end of the robotic positioner wherein the conformableface comprises a plurality of forward biased independently moveablepassive carton remover devices. In a further embodiment, conformableface may be configured such that when the plurality of forward biasedindependently moveable passive carton remover devices contacts thecarton pile one or more of the carton remover devices move to conformthe conformable face to the irregularities of the carton pile. In afurther embodiment, the carton remover devices may be vacuum rodssupported within a guide frame of the manipulator. In a still furtherembodiment, the manipulator may further comprise a spring associatedwith each vacuum rod configured to impart force on the guide frame andthe respective vacuum rod to extend the vacuum rod forward from theguide frame toward a carton of the carton pile. In an additionalembodiment, each vacuum rod may comprise a hollow guide rod, a vacuumcup connected to a forward end of the guide rod, a vacuum couplingconnected to a rear end of the guide rod, a stop located between thevacuum coupling and the vacuum cup, and a washer located between thestop and the vacuum cup. In a further embodiment, each spring may be acompression spring encircling the guide rod of its respective vacuum rodand configured to impart force on a front face of the guide frame andthe washer to extend its respective vacuum rod forward from the guideframe toward the carton of the carton pile. In an additional embodiment,the manipulator may further comprise a plate, and a refraction cylinderconnected to the plate, wherein the plate may be configured to contactthe stops of the vacuum rods when the retraction cylinder is extended toretract the vacuum rods into the guide frame. In a further embodiment,the plurality of forward biased independently moveable passive cartonremover devices may be arranged into two or more banks of carton removerdevices. In an embodiment, the robotic carton unloader may furthercomprise a control and visualization system connected to the conveyorsystem, the robotic positioner, and the manipulator, wherein the controland visualization system may be configured to automatically control theconveyor system, the robotic positioner, and the manipulator to unloadthe carton pile. In a further embodiment, the control and visualizationsystem may be configured to control the vacuum manipulator to extendeach of the two or more banks of vacuum rods independently. In a furtherembodiment, the control and visualization system may be configured tocontrol the robotic positioner to rotate the manipulator perpendicularto a floor of a truck or trailer to lift a carton from the floor. In anembodiment, the manipulator may further comprise a sliding shelfconfigured to extend toward the carton pile to stabilize the cartonpile. In a further embodiment, the control and visualization system maybe configured to control the robotic positioner and vacuum manipulatorto extend the sliding shelf while retracting one or more of the cartonremover devices or moving the manipulator away from the carton pile. Ina further embodiment, the manipulator may further comprise at least onepneumatic cylinder coupled to the sliding shelf to extend and retractthe sliding shelf. In an embodiment, the pneumatic cylinder may be apneumatic rodless fluid cylinder with magnetic coupling. In anembodiment, the manipulator may further comprise at least one additionalcarton remover device configured to extend out from the manipulatorperpendicular to conformable face.

As used herein, processors may be any programmable microprocessor,microcomputer or multiple processor chip or chips that can be configuredby software instructions (applications) to perform a variety offunctions, including the functions of the various embodiments describedabove. In the various devices, multiple processors may be provided, suchas one processor dedicated to wireless communication functions and oneprocessor dedicated to running other applications. Typically, softwareapplications may be stored in the internal memory before they areaccessed and loaded into the processors. The processors may includeinternal memory sufficient to store the application softwareinstructions. In many devices the internal memory may be a volatile ornonvolatile memory, such as flash memory, or a mixture of both. For thepurposes of this description, a general reference to memory refers tomemory accessible by the processors including internal memory orremovable memory plugged into the various devices and memory within theprocessors.

The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams areprovided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to requireor imply that the steps of the various embodiments must be performed inthe order presented. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the artthe order of steps in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in anyorder. Words such as “thereafter,” “then,” “next,” etc. are not intendedto limit the order of the steps; these words are simply used to guidethe reader through the description of the methods. Further, anyreference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using thearticles “a,” “an” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting theelement to the singular.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, andalgorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, orcombinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability ofhardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules,circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentinvention.

The hardware used to implement the various illustrative logics, logicalblocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with ageneral purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Ageneral-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but, in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration. Alternatively, some steps or methods may be performed bycircuitry that is specific to a given function.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a non-transitoryprocessor-readable, computer-readable, or server-readable medium or anon-transitory processor-readable storage medium. The steps of a methodor algorithm disclosed herein may be embodied in a processor-executablesoftware module or processor-executable software instructions which mayreside on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, anon-transitory server-readable storage medium, and/or a non-transitoryprocessor-readable storage medium. In various embodiments, suchinstructions may be stored processor-executable instructions or storedprocessor-executable software instructions. Tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media may be any available media that may beaccessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, suchnon-transitory computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to storedesired program code in the form of instructions or data structures andthat may be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein,includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatiledisc (DVD), floppy disk, and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproducedata magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope ofnon-transitory computer-readable media. Additionally, the operations ofa method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set ofcodes and/or instructions on a tangible, non-transitoryprocessor-readable storage medium and/or computer-readable medium, whichmay be incorporated into a computer program product.

The foregoing description of an embodiment has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed.Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to bestillustrate the principles of the invention and its practical applicationto thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize theinvention in various embodiments and with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated. Although only a limitednumber of embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited in its scope to thedetails of construction and arrangement of components set forth in thepreceding description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention iscapable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out invarious ways. Also, in describing the embodiment, specific terminologywas used for the sake of clarity. It is to be understood that eachspecific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in asimilar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. It is intended that thescope of this provisional filing will be better defined by the claimssubmitted with a later non-provisional filing.

What is claimed is:
 1. A robotic carton unloader for unloading a cartonpile, comprising: a conveyor system; a robotic positioner; and amanipulator moveably attached to an end of the robotic positioner. 2.The robotic carton unloader of claim 1, wherein the manipulator has aconformable face configured to conform to passively conform toirregularities of the carton pile by contact therewith.
 3. The roboticcarton unloader of claim 2, wherein the conformable face is configuredto attach to contacted cartons of the carton pile to unload thecontacted cartons.
 4. The robotic carton unloader of claim 3, whereinthe conformable face is configured to apply vacuum to attach to thecontacted cartons.
 5. The robotic carton unloader of claim 4, whereinthe conformable face comprises a plurality of carton connectors, each ofthe plurality of carton connectors configured to be biased towards thecarton pile and to individually conform to the irregularities of thecarton pile by contact therewith.
 6. The robotic carton unloader ofclaim 5, wherein each of the plurality of carton connectors is biasedtowards the carton pile by a spring.
 7. The robotic carton unloader ofclaim 4, wherein the conformable face comprises more than one bank ofpluralities of carton connectors, each bank of a plurality of cartonconnectors configured to move independent of the other banks ofpluralities of carton connectors towards the carton pile to conform tothe irregularities of the carton pile by contact therewith and to moveindependent of the other banks of pluralities of carton connectors awayfrom the carton pile to unload the contacted cartons.
 8. The roboticcarton unloader of claim 7, wherein each bank of pluralities of cartonconnectors comprises at least one fluid activated cylinder to move thatbank of pluralities of carton connectors towards and away from thecarton pile.
 9. The robotic carton unloader of claim 4, furthercomprising a control and visualization system connected to the conveyorsystem, the robotic positioner, and the manipulator, wherein the controland visualization system is configured to automatically control theconveyor system, the robotic positioner, and the manipulator to unloadthe carton pile.
 10. The robotic carton unloader of claim 2, wherein themanipulator further comprises a moveable shelf movable towards and awayfrom the carton pile, the moveable shelf configured to support cartonsdrawn from the carton pile.
 11. The robotic carton unloader of claim 10,wherein the moveable shelf slides towards and away from the carton pile.12. The robotic carton unloader of claim 10, wherein the moveable shelfincludes a bumper to stabilize the carton pile as cartons are unloaded.13. The robotic carton unloader of claim 10, wherein the moveable shelfpivots.
 14. The robotic carton unloader of claim 10, further comprisinga control and visualization system connected to the conveyor system, therobotic positioner, and the manipulator, wherein the control andvisualization system is configured to automatically control the conveyorsystem, the robotic positioner, the manipulator, and the moveable shelfto unload the carton pile.
 15. The robotic carton unloader of claim 2,further comprising a control and visualization system connected to theconveyor system, the robotic positioner, and the manipulator, whereinthe control and visualization system is configured to automaticallycontrol the conveyor system, the robotic positioner, and the manipulatorto unload the carton pile.
 16. The robotic carton unloader of claim 15,wherein the control and visualization system is configured to controlthe robotic positioner to rotate the manipulator perpendicular to afloor of a truck or trailer to lift a carton from the floor.
 17. Therobotic carton unloader of claim 2, wherein the manipulator furthercomprises at least one carton connector configured to extend out from aside of the manipulator perpendicular to the conformable face.
 18. Therobotic carton unloader of claim 17, wherein the at least one cartonconnector is configured to attach to contacted cartons on the side ofthe manipulator to unload the contacted cartons.
 19. The robotic cartonunloader of claim 18, wherein the at least one carton connector isconfigured to apply vacuum to attach to the contacted cartons.
 20. Therobotic carton unloader of claim 19, further comprising a control andvisualization system connected to the conveyor system, the roboticpositioner, and the manipulator, wherein the control and visualizationsystem is configured to automatically control the conveyor system, therobotic positioner, the manipulator, and the at least one cartonconnector to unload the carton pile.